Playboy
by Reknownst
Summary: Of all the things in this world, she was all he ever really wanted. Mina x Millius
1. First year- Mina

_**A/N: Something that was requested by Ms. Kasper because they liked Twin Tails so much. A special thank you to them for being so supportive and what not and I really hope I can do their request justice.**_

_**Also, a link to another user's profile will be given because they did allow me to use some characters of their own. Quite a few actually. They're quite the writer actually, so I'd advise you guys to check them out.**_

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><p>"You! Third row! State your name!" The trainee's fist thumped against his chest. Mina had almost thought that the boy would've knocked a solid hole through his chest. After the Potato Girl had already condemned herself to hell on the first day, instructor Shadis's drill had intensified. She had been so apt to join the military, to help humanity and more so to keep her hometown safe from the advancing titans. She had been staring directly at the fences ahead of her, a part of her considering making a break for it. She had known that military life was grueling, but she had never thought that it'd be so demanding emotionally.<p>

"Millius Zermusky of Karanese!" Shadis's voice seemed to grow even more unnerving, nearing in as he had done so earlier to Marco. His tone was something different.

"From the same place as that pigshit in the first row!? Then why don't you go and accompany them! A lily-livered shit like you will be the first one the titans are gonna' dine on!" Mina rubbed her fingertips into her palms. She was still shaking a little from how draconian the man had been. He had bore into the short haired blonde a little ways to her right, Armin Arlert, he had said his name was, and had even struck out at Jean with a solid headbutt. By the time he had gotten to her, she had already been trying desperately hard to control her shaking. If he noticed, he hadn't said anything on it. She was a little concerned about Millius.

She had kept her eyes glued to Millius's hazing with the utmost conviction, wincing inwardly as Shadis bellowed out his usual "face front!" phrase when he was finished with them. Millius's eyes had gone from staring into Shadis's chest to her eyes directly, a sly, mischievous smirk gracing the edges of his lips.

_Millius, don't, s_he thought fatigued. His eyes settled with a frown to match. Mina made a tired sigh as she saw Millius's lips part into speech, into something she couldn't hear. He had mumbled it really, but Shadis, who had been only a person away, had froze almost instantly on the spot. His sunken eyes turning to him with a vague and eery sense of control.

"Zermusky, mind repeating what the hell you said?" Mina turned away even as the rest of the new recruits looked on with disbelief. She knew that Millius had been wanting her in particular to be the one watching. Millius didn't respond. Mina squealed a little in fright at the explosion in the instructor. She had turned back around against her better judgment. Shadis's hand was planted firmly onto Millius's skull. It had seemed so likely that he would've tore the boy from the ground in a livid explosion of anger.

"Hey chicken shit! I'm talking to you!" Millius's face had gone blank and Mina couldn't tell if he was trying in vain to be stoic or if he had truly lost his train of thought. She corrected herself. She noticed then the sharp edge in his eyes. Again, he was looking past Shadis and at her. Mina's brow furrowed at him.

_Look away._ She bit the inside of her lip. She knew him. She knew him very well. Even so, the ways he stared at her made her hair stand on end. _Look away!_

"It was a remark to myself." Millius mumbled again. He was looking at Shadis now, jaw clenched and palms sweaty. "I'm sorry. I just thought that this uniform is ichy as hell..." A crushing silence filled the air. Shadis stared at Millius unabashed and unflinching, but Millius hadn't once returned even a glance and attempted to watch his feet with a fake interest. Shadis let him fall from his hands and watched the boy slip into the dirt.

"2000 push-ups. Get started," Shadis hissed.

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><p>Mina had lost count how many times she had heard Millius's name. Among other things, his brazen cool guy attitude had nearly gotten him killed. He had passed out twice from heat exhaustion and was delirious when he had strolled into the mess hall. He had only gotten to 150 before he collasped. She hadn't been surprised from how mountainous and dry the region was. The sun was usually very inforgiving when it came to the area. Still, she had wished he had thought his actions through. He had been one of the few new recruits who hadn't taken the basic aptitude test, even though he had the rest of day to rest. There were bits and pieces that she caught, the most pronounced one being that she hadn't been the only one to know that he had been staring past Shadis.<p>

She sighed, and it earned her a slightly barbed stare from the other person across from here. Mina straightened herself then and ragged her eyes up to the girls. Her eyes were a piercing and crystal hued. It felt as though she were staring through her. Mina fumbled to form her thoughts, let alone a simple sentence.

"O-Oh..I'm, um, sorry about that." She laughed awkwardly, but the other girls eyes made her shiver inwardly. They showed nothing in the slightest. _Who could live like this...?_ It was quiet then. For a moment, she figured if this had been what Millius had felt like when everyone had watched him in amazement at his attempted indifference. The other girl had finally looked away, propping her chin up. The look of boredom remained strong in her face. Again, Mina tried to find her words. "So, why did you join the military?"

Silence.

"I joined because I thought I could help humanity." Her crystal eyes shifted, flicking over toward Mina to observe her impassively. "I'm a little nervous about the whole thing..."

"I'd prefer it if you'd leave me out of whatever it is you're doing or thinking. I could care less." Mina recoiled at the sharp response, a part of her a little offended.

"I was only trying to be friendly."

"Don't." She combed through her food listlessly. "Wouldn't it be better for you to deal with other people? Maybe people who might _enjoy_ your company?" Mina's mouth gaped slightly, but her face fell.

"I would, but I don't necessarily have anyone I've come here with." The other girl grunted, wiping a few strands of sunny blonde hair that had fallen over her eyes.

"So you don't know the idiot who nearly got himself killed?" Mina let out a rough exhale. "Do you?" For a moment, Mina had considered shaking her head in denial. The look in the girl's eyes had told her, frightened her into otherwise. She nodded bashfully.

"He doesn't usually act like that. When I had met him back when we were kids, he seemed... a lot more sincere." Mina offered up a small smile but the blonde made it clear that she had no further interest in talking, and simply kept her eyes averted with the same cold, neutral stare and offered Mina nothing more than that.

"Alright brats! Dining's over! All of you will line up outside the dormitories and will be assigned a room-mate! Hurry up and get to it!" It was Shadis again, and his voice still sent tremors through Mina's spine. Oddly enough, she found that he was less important at the moment. She kept her eyes on the blonde girl, who didn't even cringed in the slightest at Shadis's display. She had been hoping that the girl would turn to look at her, but to no avail.

Mina sighed, a little annoyed but gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Well, I guess it was nice meeting you... I'm Mina." That was all Mina had said and it was probably all the other girl could stand to listen to. Mina stood up and left her, not even stopping once to even make an attempt to remember her face.

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><p>The 104th had all lined up in front of the barrack quarters. It was divided into two factions, one for each gender. The dorm complexes were built interestingly enough, each being lined with its own, smaller mess hall and various extracurricular facilities and despite the dormitories and recruiting stations being built on a somewhat mountainous area, a small lake could be seen a little ways below them, just beyond the northern edge of the fence. It may have even been possible to slide down to it if someone could navigate the steep cliff-side.<p>

Shadis's voice exploded a third time, but Mina hadn't been paying even the slightest attention. She had heard a few names in bits and pieces. Brandt, Tius, Mundis, _Zermusky._ She paused at the sound of his name. Her eyes flicked over to the boys squad, noting that each of them had stood next to their assigned room-mates, and among them she had seen the strangest pairings. She had been so intrigued by the odd pairs that she hadn't even heard Shadis barking off the girls room-mates.

"Carolina!" She tensed a little, but was steadily growing used to the sound of his voice and of the method to his madness. "Leonhardt!" Mina's heart sank a little. She wasn't quite familiar with that name and tried to place a face to the name with little avail. She gave up after a bit and figured she would find out once she went to settle into her dorm.

It had grown dark by the time the room-mates were assigned and Mina struggled to stay awake, nearly falling over a few times before they were finally dismissed for the day and she inched over to her dorm. Inside, she had found the basic necessities. A dresser was lined against the wall, big enough to accommodate both her and her room-mates clothes. Across from the dresser and pushed into a corner was bunk bed and next to that was small office style desk at which sat a familiar face and Mina immediately felt a familiar thought come with it.

_It's that bitch..._ Mina put a hand to her mouth. It wasn't often that she was so calloused, but then again, it was the same blonde girl that had shot her down for what she felt was little to no reason. She had been trying to be a nice person, and to make a friend. The other girl had her back facing to her.

"Are you going to stare at my back all day?" The edges of Mina's mouth twitched.

"I hadn't thought _**you'd**_ be my room-mate." Her comment was intentionally barbed that time, but she was met with the same deadpan.

"You weren't paying attention." Mina folded her arms.

"Do you think there's any chance that we could switch room-mates?" The girl in question shrugged.

"Most likely not. Besides, you're making a big deal out of nothing. You don't have to like me or make transparent attempts at making friends. Just go and find someone who's more like you than I am." Again, Mina huffed, but couldn't argue with her reasoning. No, she didn't really care for her and would much rather be someone else's room-mate. But she would've preferred as little friction as possible.

"Okay then," Mina started "That's fine. But I'd like it if at least tell me your name." Mina watched closely as the girls eyes found their way to her fluidly. They were seemingly burning holes into her skin or freezing her to the spot at least. The blonde blinked only once. She was smooth and controlled even in that. Mina felt a bit of jealousy flush into her face. Her roommate so far was insufferable to say the least, but she was without a doubt _gorgeous._

"You should've been listening." That was a slap in the face. Mina's hands tightened in frustration.

"Are you seri-"

"Annie Leonhardt." The smooth voice stopped Mina in her tracks. Annie stood up from her seat, climbing up onto the top of the bunk. "If that's all you wanted to know, then you should go to sleep. I saw how terrified you had been of Shadis." Annie tossed the cover up over her head and said nothing else.

"I wasn't scared of him," she said indignantly. He..." She struggled for an excuse. "Caught me off guard." she finished lamely. "By the time he was assigning our roommates, I had gotten used to him screaming at everyone." Annie didn't say anything. Mina frowned. She had slipped into her sleepwear, sliding under the blankets on the lower bunk. "Anyway, I'm-"

"Mina Carolina," Annie finished. Mina's lips creased back into a small grin. She _had_ been listening, it seemed and that thought in itself made her grin even wider. Neither girl said anything after that. It had occurred to Mina then that she didn't quite know were Annie had come from. She didn't talk much and couldn't imagine her shunning only her. It was a possibility that there was something going on in Annie's world that no one really even knew about.

She thought of Eren. His mother had been eaten right before his eyes and he had lost track of his father, who had more than likely succumbed to the same fate. Annie could be like that. _Maybe she is..._Mina closed her eyes and inhaled slowly and she was sudden;y staring at the bottom of Annie's bunk. A fire rose in Mina's chest as she did so. She needed to know more about this girl and about Annie. She needed to know where the girl had come from too. More importantly, she really just wanted to know what the world really looked liked to her.

_She just needs a friend. _She yawned. _And I promise that I'll be that friend. _Not even a moment after, Mina floated calmly into sleep.

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><p><em><strong>Profile Link: u4608885/Shrapnel893  
><strong>_


	2. Second Year- Millius

It had already been a whole year he thought. One year already. Every single recruit that had stayed on the first day had matured, even if only by the slightest bit into who they were meant to be. Millius was twelve then and it was just _last year_, even though it felt as if it had been eons ago. He laughed to himself a little. What was he doing indulging in old memories? Most of them dealt with his numerous incursion's of Shadis's disciplinary procedures, although Millius had noticed a change in Shadis's overall behavior, especially once they had all gotten used to his intimidating appearance. He even seemed to become a bit of some sort of fatherly guide for the lot of them and within that first year, Millius had already discovered how annoying that could actually be.

He watched listlessly as Zacklay mentored, droning on about the titans and their supposed invulnerability, focusing mostly upon their regenerative abilities and the small slot of weakness at the napes of their necks. It was important information Zacklay and quite a bit of the military seniors repeated often. Millius scoffed at the warnings half the time. Even if it was important information, it was a trove he had no plans to use. He had been one of the many that had been swept up in the propaganda, in the alleged 'praise' that only a soldier could have. Millius propped his head up, his cheek resting atop his hand with an increasingly bored expression.

_If that were only true._

His father had been one of the members of the Scouting Legion from a while back, back when Shadis himself had been the commander of the legion, and Millius often never heard the end of his father speaking about "his exploits" under Shadis. The thoughts left a bitter fuzziness in the center of his chest. Millius thought of his older brother that had tried to follow after his father's footsteps, and was promptly eaten. He had been one of the first to die and on his first expedition no less.

The loss of his older brother had done little to deter his father's near extremist-loyalty to the Legion and often had started to badger Millius into joining the military as well. His mother had been so bewildered at his father's stubbornness, and the two had usually taken to arguing every other day.

"Zermusky."

_Shit._ Why was he always prime targeting for the instructors?

"You seem distracted." Millius's brow quivered.

"Not really. Just...taking in all of the knowledge." He had said it a little more barbed than intended, which earned him a few snickers and poorly disguised chuckles in the lecture hall. Zacklay glared.

"Then I take it you'd like to be one of the first to be eaten, or torn limb from limb?" Millius didn't offer a response to which Zacklay added: "Pay attention" before turning his attention back to the entire class. Zacklay turned his back to the board, and immediately after, Millius's focus wandered off again, eyes wandering the room and over the students of note.

They were the ones sitting in the front, but then again, their seats had been organized based on their overall scores up to the present. Upon a second glance, he had also noted that the students in the fron of the room weren't just students of note but probably considered the best in the entire 104th.

Kirstein.

Arlert.

Ackerman and Jaeger.

He himself sat in the middle, nothing important though he was often told by a few people that he was quite intelligent and perceptive. It may have been something worth bragging about if Arlert didn't overshadow him in that regard completely. It was better than being cast in the back, he figured. He'd be among recruits like Dazz or Samuel, the former looking strangely out of place while the other seemed far too...impassive.

He thought of Mina for a moment, and sought her out in the classroom, finding that she had placed relatively well, and she sat probably a few rows ahead of him. It wasn't quite near the caliber of the top students, but well all the same.

_She really placed that good?_ Zacklay's voice had long faded away, though Millius could still hear loose phrases from the lecture. Instead, he watched 'Twin Tails', as he often called her for the low tails of hair she always wore along her shoulders. He had very much watched every bit of motion from her.

He watched her hand raises.

He watched her gossip, sparingly, to another one of the top-class students, to Leonhardt, another one of the top class students who had oddly managed to worm her way out from the front of the room. It had impressed Millius even when Annie had even acknowledged Mina, while she mercilessly shut down other numerous attempts at getting to know her. There was a quick, light rap against his forearm. A quick glance told him all he needed to know.

It was a note:

"Hey Millius, what's up? Well, since we met last year and all that, you started being the 'cool, silent' type. It wasn't like you talked much, but, you get the idea! But man, what the hell's up with you and Mina? I see you look at her all. The. Time. If you want it to be a thing, hurry up and fuck her! It can't be too hard to put the moves on her! We're gonna' be fighting Titans anyways and—"

He crumbled the letter. His lips curved strangely at the attempt to keep from laughing and making a chortle of disgust. He muttered under his breath, knowing that only Nac could be so direct and stupidly bold. The guy was even kind of an asshole at times, but it was nothing he wasn't able to put up with. It wasn't until he had seen a shadow cast over his desk that he noticed that the room had gone quiet. He went to look to the board and found Zacklay standing over him, palm open.

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><p>"You're always getting in trouble with the instructors." Millius shrugged.<p>

"In my defense, I was only letting them now the 'really real' things of the situation." she shrugged a second time. "Besides, 50 laps around the entire barracks isn't so bad." Mina recoiled.

"50!? That's only ten less than Sasha! And she just about collapsed!"

"When Shadis said she had to skip lunch." Mina paused.

"Well, yeah, but still, remember what Shadis had _ you_ do?" He appeared pensive then, and Mina gawked a little. "Don't tell me you forgot!" He gave her an awkward grin. "The 2000 push-ups?"

That rang a bell.

"Oh, yeah. And on a Sunday too," he added forlornly. His voice perked up within moments though and he gave a few hard blows to his chest. "Still, both of those times were when we first joined. Compared to then, we're way more conditioned. 50 laps is no problem. I'm pretty sure Sasha could handle 60 laps no problem now too." Mina rolled her eyes.

"You sound so confident."

"Since when was I any different?" Another roll of her eyes.

"Since before you met Nac." His face dropped.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Mina smiled.

"I'm a little surprised that you really thought I was being serious." Millius couldn't help but laugh with her then. He was at ease, in spite of all of the thoughts he had been feeling in class. No. His contentment was mixed with something else he couldn't describe or really even stand.

And it was always when he was able to sit with Mina like this. And as their conversation carried on, Millius had become aware of just how much the feeling affected him, though he didn't quite understand why. He felt himself hinging on every word she spoke, on what she may be thinking about, and whether or not she thought about him in any kind of way. He had written it of as just them being friends for so long, so it was normal, right?

"Millius?" He blinked. Mina's face focused in his vision, and berated himself for having spaced out.

"A-ah...Sorry. I was just...th-th-" _Thinking, damn it!_

_ "_Thinking," she finished for him. He nodded, trying to place his facade back in place.

"I guess I was trying to get the words out too fast..." She giggled and again, Millius felt his focus numb. His heart thumped in his chest and the thought numbing had become a full fledge fog, two things that his older brother would've called "love". The thought gave rise to a certain memory, where he and Mina were often teased as being a couple. She was his "best friend" and not his girlfriend" as he had put it back then.

He had also become very aware of how he wanted to touch her, and of how soft she looked. His brother had had a girlfriend back then and Millius wondered if his brother had felt a certain kind of heat or a surging need to touch her like he did for Mina.

Did Mina really give him _any_ kind of thought beyond friendship?

The question both intrigued and scared him. He had spaced out again, and he brought his attention back to Mina.

"I'm sorry... I...spaced out again." Surprisingly, Mina shrugged it off.

"That's a little different. You're usually pretty sharp."

"Usually." There were a few moments of silence between them. Millius had watched her again, more subtly than he been and realized that neither of them had anything more to add, and that neither one of them were willing to look like the awkward fool.

_When had this happened? _ Mina stood up, stretching and with a fake yawn.

"I guess I'll be going to bed soon. We'll have to get up really early tomorrow." Millius nodded.

"Yeah. Mondays aren't the greatest." They each bade the other goodbye and he watched her slip from sight. His shoulder slumped as soon as she had gone and he leaned back into the wooden chair. He looked around the mess hall. How long had they been talking there? The place was practically empty at this point, save a few tables being taken up by some of the other recruits. He even saw Wagner at one of the tables and was a little surprised with that too.

He yawned and stood after a few minutes, figuring that he would follow after Mina's example, more so to get away from the thoughts of her than to actually sleep. Even if her gesture had been transparent to him. He was certain that they had both noticed how different he had began acting in the last few minutes. He shoved his hands into his pockets, filing the thought away for another time and was nearly through the door before another body ran directly into him.

He could feel the top of their head a little ways under his chin. He was only a little taller than Jaeger really, and didn't consider himself all that tall. He cast a gaze down.

_Shit..._

"Watch where you're going."

"_Duly_ noted," he retorted. "Geez, Annie. I can see how even Mina thought you were a bitch." He had expected her to respond, but instead they just stood there, which probably meant she figured her uninviting demeanor would've pushed him aside by now.

"Move," she repeated. Millius folded his arms defiantly. Millius continued to speak, as if he hadn't heard a single word.

"Matter of fact, that's all I hear from anyone who talks about you." Annie fixed him with a venomous stare.

"And you think I _care_?" Her hands were small, but they dug into his shirt with a certain strength and she yanked him down to her level, even stretching the seams a little. They were nearly nose-to-nose. The whole thing really shook him up, considering he was a good six inches taller than her.

"I don't like to be involved with stupid little squabbles like this. Is agitating someone minding their own business really necessary?" Her grip tightened and when Millius found that he was speechless, Annie pushed him and he stumbled back onto the mess hall floors with a crash. "That's all I have to say."

And then she kept forward as if nothing happened. She had already wiped him from her mind, and without the slightest bit of difficulty either. She didn't even respond when Millius called after her with a snarl.

_She's a real bitch alright, Mina._

He clenched his fist as he watched her grow smaller, and had half a mind to run after her and ask what the hell was her problem. She had decided on being rude, so he figured he'd do the same. A part of him was seething even, and there was an estranged thought to challenge her. He let out a deep breath then, and turned his back to her as well, unaware that Annie had turned back to watch him leave.

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><p>Millius's body thrummed with a mixture of soreness and boredom. He wanted to get up and do something, anything really, but his body would ache sharply whenever he made an attempt to move. So he was stuck there, confined to the bottom bunk of his cabin. He would look to the window occasionally. He had come up to bed to get away from thinking, to sleep. But instead, there he was, wide awake and <em>still<em> thinking. It was late, and Millius was almost certain that he'd regret it if he stayed up any longer.

Aside from the 3-D drills and the strategy course from the day, he had been so confident that he'd be able to handle the 50 laps, only to find that it was the one thing that had pushed him over the edge. There wasn't much he could remember of the laps, only waking and finding a scowling Mina, whose presence was accented by that Annie Leonhardt and Marco Bodt. He grunted in false irritation. Mina was right after all about the laps.

Mina.

Pigshit.

Twin Tails.

All of the names referred to the same person, though he couldn't stand the insult Shadis had given her when breaking them all in. Millius had played his cards dumbly, finding ways to irritate and annoy Shadis with Nac and Connie. It was a certain kind of revenge for having cut into Mina so deeply back then. It was all he could really do.

It stung a bit to watch even. Millius could do nothing when he had grown so used to being to able to fight off anyone that would tease Mina. It had been that way since they were kids. She was his closest friend after all.

"_Not_ my girlfriend," he repeated. He took a deep breath, slightly annoyed. An image of the short girl from earlier, of Annie, had sifted into his mind again. The girl had no tolerance for just about no one, yet she put up with Mina with only restained sarcasm if anything. He couldn't quite wrap his head around how someone as chatty as Mina could befriend someone so...solitary.

"This is complete shit."

"'Who' or 'what' is complete shit?"

"Can it, Mundis. It's none of your business." His roommate's face swung over the edge of the top bunk, his dark hair hanging just over his eyes.

"You shouldn't try so hard to pick up things from Nac. He's kind of a bad influence if you ask me. Anyway, this must be one of your 'Mina' things then." That earned a quirky brow raise from Millius.

"What makes you say that?"

"I figured you might've heard Fritz talking about her or something. He did say that Mina is a pretty nice girl, and that he definitely considers her a friend." Millius's face didn't change.

"Why would that matter to me. I've been her friend for all her life. It's nothing unnatural." Jayce's face disappeared then, and he shuffled down from the top bunk, taking a seat on the edge of Millius's bunk.

"even though there's usually friendship complications, that's how romantic feelings usually get started. It's always the 'we're just friends' card. I mean, look at Franz and Hannah." The words got a rise out of Millius.

"Brandt's a little absent upstairs sometimes though." There was an expression of disbelief from Jayce and Millius rose a brow skeptically. "Come on, what I said wasn't that bad. If anything, it's a little true."

"That was was more pointed than in good nature," Jayce murmured. "And besides, I know how much you like Mina—"

"It's not like that." Millius went to say something else, but caught himself. What Jayce said did have some truth to it, didn't it? If anything, it definitely summed up how _he _felt about Mina.

"That was way to defensive to be a normal answer either." Jayce frowned, giving Millius an expression that he could only place as worry. "I think it's better to get hurt than spend the rest of your life wondHe didn't really want to believe them.

It made him think too much of his brother. Millius turned his back to Jayce.

"Go to sleep. It has to be almost midnight, and we're supposed to get up at four." He could feel Jayce staring at his back, as if he was trying to will Millius to look at him. Long seconds passed.

"If that's the case, then you should make your move before Fritz or someone else does." Millius tightened his form belligerently.

"I thought you and Friedrich were friends?"

"We are," Jayce responded matter-of-factly. "And so are we. Fritz doesn't have the slightest bit of interest in Mina that way. He's more or less been trying to figure out how Annie thinks and ticks." They were silent again and Millius felt Jayce leave the edge of his bed and back up onto the top bunk. "Anyway, night Millius. Can you at least think about what I said?" Millius stifled a laugh.

Was Jayce of all people being serious?

"Yeah. Sure." With a yawn, Millius made himself comfortable, and was nearly off to sleep when Mina came to mind.

_Mina..._ He killed the thought of her in an instant.

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><p><strong><em>AN: Hey guys, don't forget to check out Shrapnel893's profile! I'm telling you, the guys pretty darn good, and his fic Caged No More is beautifully written. Give it go!_**

**_Link to Shrapnel's Profile: u/4608885/Shrapnel893_**

**_Link to Shrapnel's Story: s/10319533/1/Caged-No-More  
><em>**


	3. Second Year- Mina

_**A/N: I have no idea how many people are actually reading this, or care to read it. Just gonna leave this here saying to check out Shrapnel893's profile. I would link it, but unfortunately, the site will not allow for the full url. So, just use that searchbar at the top and have at it.**_

_**Jayce Mundis and Friedrich Brandt are both characters belonging to Shrapnel893 and are used with that badass's permission.**_

_**Also, giving out yet another spotlight thanks to Ms. KasPer for their awesome support!**_

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><p>It felt like they had joined all over again, and to be honest, Mina hated the feeling. Like the first year, she had found that everyone was talking about someone, and that someone seemed to coincidentally be Millius. Hearing Millius's name as often as she did had without a doubt worn on her. Even so, it wasn't just Millius's name that bothered her so much by itself. It was usually preceded by the word "playboy", which almost always, if not always, allowed the whole thing to get thoroughly under her skin.<p>

"He was never really a 'playboy'," she grumbled to herself.

"You know, you really suck at mumbling." Mina nearly jumped from her seat.

"Damn it Millius. _Again?_" He smiled.

"It wouldn't hurt to tune in more, would it?"

"So I can listen to those corny pick up lines?"

"They work, don't they?" She didn't even really bother to consider a response. No, in truth, she couldn't really even think of one. Since when had he become so focused on _girls_? She was looking past him for a moment, and brought her attention back to him.

_ Oh damn it,_ she thought. He was staring at her again, and Mina felt the adrenaline rush through her veins. _Why are you staring at me like that?_ Millius was smirking, but Mina saw something much more than that. Much more than his cool guy charade, something bigger than even Nac's poor advice. For a moment, Mina wasn't quite sure if he were staring past or into her. She swallowed, gathering strength from a unexpected burst of courage. "Are you just going to stare at me?" Mina expected some kind of respite; she found no such thing.

"I could. I think you're starting to fill out nicely." They were staring at one another for what seemed to be a painfully long time then.

"M-Millius!"

"What," he responded casually. "I'm just giving you a compliment."

"W-well, stop it..." Millius rose a brow.

"You don't do too well when under the light, do you?" Mina glared at him, as if he knew the answer to that. She was right. He did know the answer without a doubt. It was his certain kind of method of picking at her and that seemed to be the one thing that he was abusing lately when it came to her.

"You know how tongue-tied I can get sometimes," Mina huffed, and Millius responded with a shrug.

"Yeah, sure. That's why I do it." Mina's glare remained, though she noted that Millius refused to look at her directly. Again, the two sat at a strange stalemate. "I'm not going to watch you until you stop glaring at me."

"Why not?" Millius sighed, kicking his chair back and placing his feet on the table. If Shadis caught him, that'd be an extra 20 laps. Millius was silent. "Come on Millius. Let's not do this..." Mina said tiredly. "We go through this more than we should."

"Are you jealous?" Mina stared at him blankly for a moment.

"What?" Millius repeated himself.

"Are you jealous?" Mina wasn't sure if she was more surprised of the question or if she was more impressed with Millius's sudden change in person. She was less on alert though her fingers and heart still quivered under his eyes.

"What do I have to be jealous of?" she asked quietly. He grunted snidely at her, subtly flirtatious, and he picked himself up from the chair, moving in to sit next to her, and even still he leaned in, so close to where he could've kissed her if he wanted. Mina thought her chest would burst from his leering.

"I forgot. You have eyes for Jaeger." Fire crept into her cheeks, but Mina threw her embarrassment aside, along with her questions to Millius on exactly how the hell did he know something _like that._

"We grew up together," he replied. "And we grew up close. Remember when those boys from down the street would tease you and put gum in your hair?" The memory made Mina smile.

"And you got into a fight with all four of them?" He grinned back at her. She had to admit, Millius was sure confident of his abilities.

"And I won too. At the cost of a busted lip, swollen knuckles and a black eye."

"And nearly getting sent to the mines because you didn't know when to quit."

"I'd_** like** _to think we grew up close." _Nice topic change you dork,_ Mina thought with a smile.

"It's a wonder how I didn't know you were into Eren sooner." He finished. "Only you would have such a bad taste in guys." That was enough to dispel Mina's elation, and more-so, enough to get her attention back to something she wanted to find out.

"Millius," her voice was stern this time. He returned her stare. "Why is everyone calling you 'Playboy'? That's all I ever hear now. 'That playboy Millius...' or 'Yeah, he's a ladies man!' is not the Millius I grew up with." He rose a brow.

"Did talking about Eren upset you that much?" Mina shook her head.

"You know that you're trying to change the topic." Millius grumbled, muttering something Mina didn't quite catch. She tried her best to keep glaring, but her face softened regardless. Besides, maintaining a permanent scowl was somewhat annoying and painful for her face anyhow.

"When did you become so interested in me?" Mina's mouth hung open a little.

"Millius, what are you talking about? I've always been interested in you." He turned to her with a strange expression. He didn't quite believe what she was saying, nor did he think she knew what he meant. She had seen the doubt written in his face, clear as day. Mina turned away, a little overwhelmed at how well she knew Millius.

"Whatever," The change in Millius's voice was enough to get her to turn around to face him, and she managed to only see the back of his white tunic as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"When did you get so interested in girls?" Millius went rigid.

"Always have been." She knew that he was straining to sound convincing.

"Oh, you're not fooling me." Millius was quiet.

"You're not fooling me either, you know."

"Then get to it and answer me: Why is everyone calling you a playboy? I mean, I've noticed that you've been acting different, and it's different than Nac's dumb influence."

"Nac's calmed down quite a bit." Millius retorted defensively. "He's a good friend when you get past all that garbage." Mina sighed.

"I didn't say that he was. I just..." she stopped, watching Millius turn back to her, still with the same gaze. Mina held her ground under his grey eyes, instead trying her best to see what Millius was feeling that made him so strange and so reclusive with her. "I just want to know what the hell is going on."

He shrugged again, and suddenly, he was grinning, strangely so. The discomfort Mina felt returned tenfold, and her heart was pumping suddenly too many times.

"Millius?"

"You don't want to know the answer to that question." The smoothness in his voice had returned, and he was back to working his subtle mind games on her, even though he had failed the first time. Mina slammed her fist into the table, nearly knocking the trays from the table. The entire room stopped. Millius's eyes shifted to the side of her, and then over to his right. "You got everyone's attention, Mina."

"Stop being such an asshole!" Millius's smirk waned. "I'm only trying to be a good friend. We haven't really talked since the start of the year four months ago, so when I ask you something, do you really have to be so evasive?" Millius didn't answer. "Do you even _trust_ me?" Still, Millius said nothing, and his eyes flicked past her, and a pair of people caught his eye, both of which made him rigid with distaste. Mina had followed his eyes, turning back to find both Annie and Eren Jaeger watching the confrontation; Eren had his teeth bared in anger, his eyes focused intently on Millius, though Mikasa kept him restrained, her grip seemingly bone-crushing to do so; Annie simply stood up and left the hall.

"So, are you going to continue?" Millius remarked. Mina scanned over the dining room again, seeing the eyes of everyone focused on them.

Thomas.

Nac.

Sasha.

Friedrich.

Hannah and Franz.

Mina took a deep breath before she grabbed hold of Millius, tugging him fiercely behind her.

"Where are we going?" Even then, there was still an amorous edge to his voice, as if he were still playing games with her.

"Shut up. I need to talk to you."

* * *

><p>She shoved him into her dorm room, and nearly slammed the door behind her. Millius smirked.<p>

"Moving quick? And in the girls dorm too. If Shadis finds out—"

"Shadis isn't _here_, is he?" Once again, she had found a way to get Millius to be quiet. Mina pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Millius, why do you get under my skin so much?" He fumbled for an answer. He seemed to be more shocked that she had said something so calloused despite their friendship over the years, and right from the beginning also.

"Do you...r-really mean that?" Another frustrated sigh.

"No, I mean as of late. I hate the fact that 'Playboy Millius' is such a hot topic and I hate how mean you've been the last four months. I actually started trying to avoid you because I just don't like seeing whatever's bothering you bother you so bad. And I wish you would tell me what the hell's going on so we can both try to fix this!" She was heaving, and at any moment, it seemed like she would start crying, and even so, there seemed to be almost no change in Zermusky, save a defensive raise of both of his hands.

"Well, I see that 'playboy' and Mina don't get along so well at all." He stood back up from her bedside. "Look, we don't need to talk about this, but I can definitely leave you alone, alright?" Mina shook her head.

"I _want_ to know. I want to know why you changed so much..." Mina took another deep breath to calm herself. She wasn't sure if Millius could see that she was shaking subtly. If so, he said nothing of it. "I want to know why they call you 'Playboy Milllius' and not just 'Millius' like we all used to."

Pensive would've been the best words to describe Millius in those following moments. He was genuinely thinking of an answer, one that Mina hoped wasn't overbearingly witty or sarcastic. Dealing with Millius had really left her somewhat drained.

"It's because 'your Millius' didn't know how to get what he wanted." Mina cringed as he had "your Millius". Her frustration gave way to a small pang of familiar discomfort.

"Are you saying 'my Millius' didn't know how to attract girls?" Millius shook his head, even though Mina caught traces of pink flushing across his face. It was strange to see Millius flushing in embarrassment, even if It was slight.

"Not even. I guess he was just nervous about a lot of things."

"Changing yourself still isn't grounds for being called a playboy. And I doubt that's the only reason why everyone's calling you such." Mina walked past him to sit on her bottom bunk, and Millius sat down next to her. "I can never hear your name without 'Playboy' anyway and it's gotten annoying." She giggled in an attempt to lighten the somber mood, and managed to illicit a menial grin from him.

"Reminds me of when I pissed of Shadis the first year..."

"Don't change the topic," Mina countered. "In fact, you should tell me before you forget."

"As if I'd forget that," he mumbled. Mina frowned.

"Are you thinking about your brother again?" Millius chuckled sardonically.

"Not at all. Me and my brother were close, but I figured he'd go out and die anyway." He leaned back onto Mina's bunk. "But no, that's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what are you worried about?" He turned to her with a certain kind of smile, and perhaps Mina was making progress with him.

"Just how to tell you exactly why everyone started calling me 'Playboy'." Mina raised a brow.

"Just go for it," she said with a grin." Again, he seemed to ponder his thoughts for a moment before answering.

"I fucked a few of the upper class girls." Mina's jaw dropped.

"You..._what?_" He shrugged casually neither quite proud or ashamed. That shrug, that god-forsaken shrug made Mina want to tear the boys head loose.

"In the 102nd, there were a few girls that caught my eye, so I went for it."

"That's it?" Millius gave another casual shrug.

"Casual sex is what a playboy does."

"That's not what I mean." Mina pinched her brow. Another wave of anger was staring to take hold of her. How was it that Millius, shrewd, clever Millius resorted to doing something so stupid? She looked back to him to see that she had his attention, and his eyes were focused on her without his unnerving gaze or past her. It hadn't been that way in a long while. "Who are they? How many did you do it with?"

"Oh, shut up mom."

"Millius, I'm serious." He lost his focus, more so his nerve, and his eyes went familiarly past Mina.

"I fucked them because I could, and they said that they had always wanted to try it. Besides, it's not like—"

Mina slapped him and realized immediately afterwards that she was way more riled up than she thought. Even back in the mess hall, she would've never actually _hit _Millius.

"How many," she repeated vehement. _My hand hurts._ His eyes still refused to meet hers. He was smooth all right, way more than he used to be. Mina corrected herself. To her, she wasn't really speaking to Millius.

This was "The Playboy", so to speak.

"How many," Mina nearly it yelled throughout the dorms.

"Okay," he replied abruptly, and small. "You got me. So I lied."

"Lied?" Millius nodded curtly. Mina thought she would've struck out at him again she was so livid. Instead, she managed to keep her hands at her side and listen tentatively.

"Yeah." Mina huffed.

"So, you're lying about the 102nd girls," she asked through clenched teeth. "And spread it as a rumor to make yourself look good?" His expression was smooth and cool once again. His mind games were damn exasperating. It was something he was always good at, and it made Mina more irritable by the second. At that rate, she would be at her limit soon. "Then why the hell would—"

"I actually fucked them all."

* * *

><p>Mina lost count somewhere around 120. In hindsight, she may have been a little overzealous in beating the hell out of Millius. Even so, Mina welcomed the 500 push-up Shadis had penalized her to do. The downside of it was that they needed to be done in the middle of the night, whilst everyone else slept. The fact that Millius's words replayed themselves in her head over and over again did little to appease the situation. She thought of everything, of how Millius looked at her, how he had changed over the course of a single year and most definitely how he had been with <em>every single girl<em> of the 102nd senior class.

"I can't believe he did that," Mina grumbled. "I don't even understand how he did it in the first place..." A weight suddenly formed on her back, bringing Mina flat onto the floor.

"You're worked up over nothing."

"Annie? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I have my reasons for being out this late. Aside from that, is there any real reason to be worked over nothing?" Mina tried to roll from under Annie, to better position herself, but she wouldn't budge.

"It's a pretty big deal, Annie."

"Not really." Annie retorted. "Millius isn't really a big deal." Mina squirmed under her for a few moments more before she sat there exhausted. "What's wrong?" Mina was silent and as if Annie read her mind, she picked herself up and off Mina's back. Annie hoisted Mina up. They stared at each other for a long moment. "Well?" Mina bit her lip.

"Well, I just..."

"Mina." That was all Annie said, and Mina was smiling despite herself.

"Have you ever...you know..." Annie folded her arms, though something slight in her eyes made it seem as though she were actually amused.

"I can't really say that I have," she responded. "I don't really know how to 'you know'." Mina stuck her tongue out. Why, she didn't really even know. She was more embarrassed than anything.

"You know what I mean!"

"No, I don't." Annie's tone was unmistakably sarcastic. Mina thought she'd faint from the embarrassment.

"Well...like...like..."

"Sex?" Mina buried her face into her hands shamefully, managing out a garbled "yeah". "Honestly, who hasn't?" Mina's attention shifted completely.

"W-what?" Mina struggled with the topic. After all, she hadn't really even given the topic any thought, not until Millius had dropped such a bombshell. "Who'd you do it with?" Annie turned her eyes back to her.

"No one."

"No...one?" It suddenly dawned on Mina then, and she gave Annie a playful punch in the shoulder. "You liar!"

"It got your mind off of that 'playboy', didn't it?" Mina paused, and promptly grinned at that.

"I guess you know me pretty well at this point..." Annie only glanced at her, seeming almost disinterested. That was typical of Annie. Mina was quite surprised that they had become as close as they had when they had started off on the wrong foot. "I'd like to think that I know quite a bit about you too," she said with a smile.

The change in Annie was, in a way, terrifying. Her face darkened, accenting her scowl to make it appear even more resonant than usual. Usually, Mina was used to Annie's various scowls and had even been able pick out traces of emotion in them. This one was no different.

"Annie?" The blonde's turn was much more sharp, as though she wanted to hide something.

"You don't know anything about me..." And she was gone before Mina could respond. Mina had watched her go, and it left her somewhat somber. Mina had figured that she was the first friend Annie had had in a while, or perhaps ever. Annie had come to cheer her up and left worse off. Even though Annie would never admit to such a thing. Mina sighed, switching into her sleepwear and climbing into bed. Shadis's push-ups could wait. She was damn tired.

_"__I actually fucked all of them." _Millius formed in her mind again, and the thoughts made her blood boil with frustration, an emotion that seemed to be associated with him at this point. What was it that was eating at him? Whenever she would ask, she was thrown askew. She sighed again. If she couldn't find out about the 102nd from him or the rest of the 104th, then she'd just have to ask them herself. Mina was soon asleep, completely unaware of Annie who sat right outside the door.

"This hurts," she muttered. "This really. Fucking. Hurts."


End file.
